Dutch ovens take ‘outdoor cooking’ to a new level

The notion of "outdoor cooking," either on a camping trip or in your backyard, often conjures up images of a hot dog speared on a stick and held over an open flame.

Dessert means wiping off the stick -- or maybe not -- and doing the same trick with a couple of marshmallows.

Bon appetit!

For those seeking a more satisfying outdoor dining experience without significantly more trouble, here are two words that might change your life: Dutch oven.

Scouts are masters of the Dutch oven. It's a wonder to watch them work their magic on weekend camping trips in the woods with nothing more than a Dutch oven, a bag of charcoal, and a few basic ingredients. You didn't think they leave home just to sleep in a tent and walk in the woods, did you?

Dutch ovens are also popular among grown-ups, such as Don Harrison and Tish Heflebower, a Henrico County couple who are avid campers and Dutch oven enthusiasts. They bought their first Dutch oven simply so they could make biscuits for breakfast on camping trips -- "There's nothing like eating fresh biscuits around a campfire in the morning," Harrison said -- and after a few years "finally figured out this thing can do a lot more," he said.

"Some people use these only as ovens, for desserts and breads," Harrison said. "Dutch oven enthusiasts like us use them for cooking just about anything. You can fry, you can stew, you can bake, you can roast, you can boil. If you can cook it in your kitchen, you can cook it out here."

Harrison is a writer and former bureau chief for United Press International and is now semi-retired. We were standing in Harrison and Heflebower's backyard while our lunch -- chicken cordon bleu and peach cobbler -- was bubbling nearby in a pair of Dutch ovens packing some real heat. Over the years, they've made Dutch oven meals of beef burgundy, roast chicken and, more recently, mussels, clams and Italian sausage in a beer broth. You can also cook vegetarian in them.

Through the ages, the term "Dutch oven" has been assigned to a variety of cook pots. Harrison said, "In one form or another, they've been around for centuries in every culture."

Today, the term generally refers to cast-iron pots with a flat bottom, three short legs, a steel handle and a flanged lid to keep coals and ashes from dropping into the food. Hot coals arranged on the lid and under the pot provide the heat for cooking.

Cast-iron Dutch ovens can also be used in the kitchen with conventional stoves. Dutch ovens with enamel coating can be used only in the kitchen; such coatings don't appreciate hot coals.

How many coals should you use? Harrison said his rule of thumb is to consider the size of the Dutch oven and then multiply that number by two. Dutch ovens come in a variety of sizes, but the 12-inch diameter pots are the standard. So, that makes 24, which is the number of coals you should use. Then put two-thirds of them on the lid, typically arranged around the outer edge; place the remaining one-third of the coals under the pot, also arranged around the perimeter of the bottom. The heat will radiate throughout the pot.

Of course, that's just a rule of thumb. A thermometer will give you a more precise reading, and you'll need to adjust how many coals to use depending on weather conditions and what sort of cooking you're doing: baking, frying and so on.

But generally Dutch oven recipes are fairly forgiving.

"You want an immediate Dutch oven success?" asked Harrison who, along with Heflebower, has eight Dutch ovens, 10 skillets, a grill pan and a special outdoor cooking piece for making Danish pancakes. "Start with cobbler. You can't go wrong."

Harrison and Heflebower's peach cobbler isn't a standard dump-in-a-cake-mix-and-canned-peaches Dutch oven cobbler. They found the recipe in "The Scout's Outdoor Cookbook," by Christine and Tim Conners. The recipe came from a Boy Scout troop in Georgia and features pre-made, rolled pie crusts available in the refrigerated section of supermarkets.

"Tish and I have cooked a bunch of cobbler recipes in Dutch ovens," Harrison said. "This one, hands down, is the best as far as we're concerned."

The chicken cordon bleu was equally impressive. Dutch ovens are made for slow cooking, but neither dish took more than an hour.

"If you enjoy cooking outdoors at home, or tailgating, or camping, [this is] a cooking and eating experience that has deep roots in our culture and history," Harrison said.

Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or .

Dutch oven recipe: Dutch Oven Chicken Cordon Bleu

Wash chicken breasts; pat dry. Place chicken pieces one at a time between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to about ¼-inch thin.

Coat one side of each chicken piece with 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Cover most of the chicken, but leave a small border all the way around it. Add a dash of pepper.

Place ham slice on chicken; again, leave a border around the outside.

Tightly roll each slice of cheese and place on ham. (This will give you a nice pop of melted cheese in the middle.) Roll the chicken toward the tapered end, then place seam side down. You can prepare the chicken rolls 24 hours in advance -- just wrap each one separately in plastic wrap.

In a bowl, mix bread crumbs, paprika, marjoram, basil and thyme. If using store-bought bread crumbs, use the unseasoned kind. Homemade crumbs are a breeze: Let three slices of white bread sit out for about 20 minutes; tear each slice into about four pieces; place in food processor and use the chop setting for about five pulses or until you have the consistency you want.

Melt butter. Roll each chicken piece in the melted butter, covering all sides, then roll in bread-crumb mix.

Lightly coat inside of 10-inch Dutch oven and the underside of the lid with nonstick cooking spray. Use enough charcoal briquettes for one ring around the bottom of the Dutch oven, and a full ring of coals around the edge of the lid (approximately 8-10 coals on the bottom and 18-20 coals on the lid).

Place chicken in Dutch oven and cook for 45-50 minutes. While chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine soup, sour cream and milk. At 35 minutes, chicken should be golden brown. Pour sauce around the chicken, cover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. (To cook indoors, set your oven at 375° and use the same time settings.) -- Don Harrison and Tish Heflebower

Dutch oven recipe: Troop 400 Peach Cobbler
Makes 8-10 servings.

Put all peaches in a large bowl, add 1 tablespoon vanilla, stir through peaches. Combine all dry ingredients, making sure to break up any clumps. Add dry ingredients to peaches a little at a time and stir until all spices are well blended.

Melt butter in a 12-inch pre-heated Dutch oven, add half of the peaches and cover with one pie crust. Bake 25 minutes or until pie crust turns golden brown. Break up the crust and mix with the peaches. Add the remaining peaches on top and cover with the second pie crust. Bake for another 25-30 minutes. Use about eight charcoal briquettes in a ring under the Dutch oven and 17-20 around the edge of the lid.

Option, not part of the original recipe : An egg wash gives the top crust a golden-brown glaze. To make the wash, whisk one egg and 1 tablespoon water together, brush lightly over second crust, continue baking. Cobbler is best served when it's allowed to sit for about 30 minutes after being pulled off the coals. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, or both.

(To cook indoors, set your oven at 350° and use the same time settings.) -- Reprinted from "The Scout's Outdoor Cookbook," published by GPP, Guilford, Conn.